Main Entry:

ver·vain

Pronunciation:

\ˈvər-ˌvān\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English verveine, from Anglo-French, from Latin verbena leafy branch; akin to Latin verber rod, Lithuanian virbas, and perhaps to Greek rhabdos rod

Date:

14th century

: any of a genus (Verbena of the family Verbenaceae, the vervain family) of chiefly American plants having bracted spicate flowers, a corolla with a 5-lobed limb, and a fruit that separates into four nutlets